The present disclosure relates to a projection type image display apparatus with which a picture of a computer or the like is displayed on a screen through projection, an image projecting method used in the same, and a computer program used in the same. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a projection type image display apparatus either which is loaded with a camera, or which is used in combination with a camera, an image projecting method used in the same, and a computer program used in the same.
Various kinds of products, such as home electric appliances and information apparatuses, which are controlled-objects for a user are present in the environment in which the human beings live. One of methods of remote-controlling this sort of apparatus by the user includes a gesture manipulation.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-79332 (as Patent Document 1) proposes a teleoperation apparatus. In this case, with teleoperation apparatus, an image of a manipulator who manipulates either a manipulation button or a manipulation display section for displaying thereon a menu is captured, and a manipulation carried out by the manipulator is detected based on a shape and a motion of a hand detected from the captured image, and the display of the manipulation display section. According to this related art, it is possible to recognize a gesture of the user by using an outline of a finger(s) or a hand(s).
In addition, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-15553 (as Patent Document 2) proposes an image recognizing apparatus. In this case, with the image recognizing apparatus, an operation for a virtual manipulation surface made by a manipulator is three-dimensionally read, and it is determined whether or not the operation is a manipulation based on a positional relationship between a part of the manipulator, and the virtual manipulation surface. Then, when the operation of the manipulator is carried out within an area of any of two or more virtual manipulation hierarchies which are decided based on the positional relationship between the part of the manipulator, and the virtual manipulation surface, the contents of the manipulation is determined based on kinds of manipulations previously allocated to the virtual manipulation hierarchies, respectively, and the operation of the manipulator within the virtual manipulation hierarchy.
The gesture manipulation is based on that the user is photographed, and an image of the user is recognized, thereby understanding the gesture. Therefore, it is expected that the gesture manipulation can be adopted in the various kinds of home electric appliances or information apparatuses each loaded with the camera.
On the other hand, projection type image display apparatuses each loaded with a camera has also been developed. However, most of the projection type image display apparatuses aims at correcting a trapezoidal distortion which is generated in a projected image, for example, when the image captured with the camera is projected obliquely on an image projected body (such as a screen wall surface). That is to say, in general, with this sort of projection type image display apparatus, a test pattern is projected on the screen, an image of the test pattern is captured by the built-in camera, and thus the trapezoidal distortion is corrected based on positions of the four corners of the resulting screen, and positions of four corners of the test pattern. This sort of projection type image display apparatus, for example, is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-13810 (as Patent Document 3).
As described above, although the projection type image display apparatuses each loaded with the camera are present, the camera concerned is used to regulate the distortion in the phase of the projection, and thus such a camera as to be used in the gesture manipulation has not been yet produced on a commercial basis.